City welcomes PSG in heavyweight clash

Dortmund hampered by key absences

November 24, 2021 04:46 am | Updated 07:15 am IST - Paris

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 21: Phil Foden of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Everton at Etihad Stadium on November 21, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 21: Phil Foden of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Everton at Etihad Stadium on November 21, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Ligue 1 leader Paris Saint-Germain will aim to secure a win in its heavyweight meeting at Manchester City on Wednesday in Group A to secure a place in the last 16.

PSG will be boosted by the potential debut of defender Sergio Ramos, who has been named in the squad. Ramos, though, is likely to be on the bench with Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe starting in central defence.

PSG is second in Group A with eight points, one behind leader City with two games remaining.

Victory would clinch the French side’s place in the next stage while defeat would end its hopes of finishing top of the group and being seeded for the last-16 draw.

Its away form has been concerning, though.

In contrast to winning every game at its Parc des Princes home this season, PSG has drawn away to Club Brugge and Leipzig in the Champions League and lost at Rennes in the French league.

With Lionel Messi fit, PSG will always have a great chance of victory and the Argentina star will be boosted by scoring his first goal in Ligue 1 in the win over Nantes on Saturday.

Messi already has three goals in the Champions League — including one in the home win over City.

Borussia Dortmund will be without both Mats Hummels and Erling Haaland when it heads to Portugal for the potential Group C decider against Sporting Lisbon.

Level on points, the clash could decide which of them joins group leader Ajax in the knockout stages.

Veteran defender Hummels is suspended after he was controversially sent off in Dortmund’s 3-1 defeat to Ajax three weeks ago.

The club had said it would appeal the red card, but coach Marco Rose admitted last week that he did not expect the 2014 World Cup winner to be available.

Haaland, meanwhile, has been out for the last four weeks with a hip injury.

Real Madrid is the Group D leader and can advance to the knockouts with a victory. It will secure first place if it wins and second-placed Inter Milan doesn’t defeat last-placed Shakhtar Donetsk in the other group game.

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